Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is a social democratic party in Germany (formerly socialist, until 1959) that was founded on 27 May 1875 under the German Empire. The SPD was persecuted under the Nazis due to its leftist stance in politics, and the SPD would become one of the most important parties in Germany after World War II. During the Cold War, Willy Brandt was one of its most famous leaders, leading the country as chancellor from the 1960s to the 1970s. In December 2013, the SPD entered a coalition government with the progressive Christian Social Union, and in 2016 the SPD held 193/630 seats in the Bundestag, 558/1,857 seats in the state parliaments, 27/96 seats in the European Parliament, and 9/16 state prime ministerial seats.